Floor for refrigerator ice-tanks.



No. 650,354. Patented May 22, 1900. R. GRAHAM & E. R. M. PIERCE.

.FLUOR FOR REFRIGERATOR ICE vTANKS.

(Application filed Oct. 28, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Shaets'-Sho6t l.

QLMQWW TH: Mom's PETERS ca. monxuwo WASHINGTON. n. c.

No. 650,354. Patented May 22, i900.

R. GRAHAM &. E. R. M. PIERCE. FLOOR FOR REFRIGERATOR ICE TANKS.

(Application med Oct. 28, 1897.)

(No Model.) 2 ShsetsSheat 2,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT GRAHAM AND EDGAR R. PIERCE, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, -ASSIGNORS TO ARMOUR & CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLOOR FOR REFRIGERATOR ICE-TANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,354, dated May 22, 1900. Application filed October 28, 18971 Serial No. 656 ,622. (No model.)

T0 to whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT GRAHAM and EDGAR R. M. PIERCE, of Sacramento, in' the county of Sacramento and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floors for Refrigerator Ice- Tanks, of which the following is a specificaable for producing a proper temperature inthe interior of the car. It is desirable for these purposes to vary the cubical capacity of the tank in such a manner that the ice contained therein will be supported in the upper portion of the tank, and this we accomplish by providing the tank with a movable floor, preferably in sections, and with supports for said floor located in the tank at different heights, and consequently at varying distances from the top of the tank, whereby'the movable floor maybe shifted from one of these supports to the other to vary its position in the tank, in conjunction with means for supporting the movable floor during the operation of shifting it from one position to another, whereby the work of shifting the floor may be quickly and readily accomplished.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents an end elevation of a refrigeratorcar having our improvements applied thereto, the end of the car being removed to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a modified construction. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through one end of the car, and Fig. this a detail plan view of a portion of the floor detached.

In the accompanying drawings, let 1O represent the walls, 11 the floor, and 12 the roof of a car provided with an ice-tank 13, adapted to be filled through an opening 14: in the roof, said opening being provided with a suitable closure 15. The ice-tank is provided with an air-inlet opening 16 at its top, preferably provided with a screen and serving to allow the warm air to pass from the body of the car into the ice-tank, and with an air-outlet 17 at its lower end, through which the colder air may'pass from the tank into the body of the car. Within the tank we provide at two or more distances above the bottom of the tank supports 18, upon either of which the movable floor of the tank may rest.

These supports maybe of any suitable con-' struction, the form we prefer, however, being that shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, in which the lower supports consist of I-beams 19, extending transversely of the car adjacent to the walls of the tank and supported by metallic brackets 20, while the upper support is composed of cleats or brackets 21, extending longitudinally of the car along the walls of the tank, to which they are secured, and central intermediate brackets 22, secured to the other walls of the tank at about the central line of the car. I

The movable floor 23 of the tank is in this construction preferably made in two sections 23 and 23 of such dimensions as to rest upon and be supported by the upper supports 21 and 22 in the manner shown in full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings when it is desired to use said floor in its uppermost position. The sections may be inclined or tilted in the manner indicated in dotted lines at the right hand in Fig. 1 of the drawings,'so as to be passed downward between or through the upper supports and lowered to rest upon the lower sup-' ports when it is desired to increase the capacity of the ice-tank by using the movable floor in its lowermost position. In order to facilitate this shifting of the movable floor from one position to another, we employ supporting links or rods 24, pivoted to the walls of the tank and to the floor and adapted to be readily disconnected atone or both of their pivotal connections. In the construction shown two of these links or rods are employed in connection with each section of the floor, each rod being pivoted at its upper end to a suitable lug or car 25, secured to the wall of the ice-tank, and being provided at its lower end with a hook 26, which'engages with an eye 27 on the floor-section. HIn shifting the floor-sections from one position to another these supporting-rods serve to sustain the greater portion of the weight of the sections during the transfer, and thus render it a comon said rods between't-he'upper supports in the manner indicated in dottedlines, its inner end being moved inward over the supports 22 and downward until its outer end rises above the support 21, when the entire section may be swung outward and downward until it rests upon the upper supports. For the purpose of facilitating the operation of connecting the hooked ends of the rods 24 to the eyes 27 we provide a suitable hand hole or opening 27 in the floor-section, and

. this opening may be conveniently provided in the manner shown in detail in Fig. 4 of the drawings byomitting or sawing out the whole or a portion of one of the slats of which the floor-section is composed in line with or adjacent to said eyes. When in this position, thesupporting rods or links 24 will serve to brace the middle portion of the section against the weight of the load of ice thereon. By a simple reversal of this proceeding the section Y may be lowered again to its position on the lower supports, it being of course understood that after the section has been swung into position so that its outer end rests upon the lower supports the hooked ends of the supporting-rods are detached to permit the other endof the section to be lowered into position, and when in this lowered position the supporting-beams 19 extend along the entire front and rear edge of the'section, and the additional support obtained from the supporting-rods is not therefore needed. It will of course be understood that the relative positions :of the supports, the floor-sections, and the supporting-rods may be such that the outer ends of the sections maybe first raised instead of the inner ends, as in the construction described. It will also be readily understood that instead of rods to form the supporting-links flexible devices, such as chains or ropes, may be used.

We prefer to construct the movable floor in sections in-the manner hereinbefore described forth'e reason that these sections may be independently raised or lowered, and this is frequently of advantage when, the tank having been filled with ice with the sections in their uppermost position, it is desired to enlarge "the ice capacity of the tank by 'lowerin g the floor.

tirely transferred to one of the sections-say,

In this case the ice may be en-' be lowered and sufficient additional ice may be placed in the tank to entirely fill the same, the tank being thus filled without involving the removal therefrom of the ice originally placedtherein. In otl1er words, the movable floor may be shifted from one position to another without removing the ice from the tank, and the variation in the capacity of the tank maybe effected without the employment of a supplementary floor, thus dispensing with the first cost of such supplementary floor and the expense of hauling'the'same.

In the construction hereinbefore described provision has been made for only two positions of the movable floor of the tank; but it is obvious that by providing supports at agreater number of different heights than two the number of positions which the movable floor may assume may be accordingly increased, and in Fig. 3 of the drawings we have shown a construction in which three superposed supports or sets of supports 18 are employed. The method of shifting the floor or floor-sections from one support or set of supports to another is indicated in said figure in dotted lines and will be readily understood from said figure, taken in connection with the-foregoing explanation.

It is obvious that various modifications in the details of construction may be made without departing from the principle of our invention, and we therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves strictly to the precise details hereinbefore described, and shown in the drawings.

We claim H 1. In a refrigerator-car, the combination, with anice-tank, of supports arranged therein at different heights,a movable floor adapted to rest on either of said supports and'to be tilted to pass between said supports, whereby said fioor may be shifted from one of said supportsto another, and means for supporting the movable floor during the operation'of shifting it, substantially as described.

2. In a refrigerator-car, the combination, with an ice-tank, of supports arranged therein at different heights, a movable floorco'mposed of separate sections adapted to rest on either of said supports and to be tilted to pass between said supports, and means for supporting the movable floor during the operation of shifting it from'one positionto another, substantially as described.

3. In a refrigerator ca'r, the combination, with an ice-tank, of supports arranged therein at different heights, a movable floor adapted to rest on either of said supports and to be tilted to pass between said supports, and detachable links pivotally connected to the too tank and floor and adapted to support the movable floor during the operation of shifting it from one position to another, substantially as described.

4. In a refrigerator-car, the combination, with an ice-tank, of supports arranged there in at different heights, a movable floor c0m= posed of separate sections adapted to rest on either of said supports and to be tilted to pass between said supports, and detachable links, one pair for each section, pivotally connected to the tank and floor-section, whereby said floor-sections are supported during the operation of shifting them from one position to another, substantially as described.

5. In a refrigerator-car, the combination, with an ice-tank, of a lower support therein composed of beams or cleats extending transversely of the car within the tank, and an upper support composed of beams or cleats extending longitudinally of the car, at the sides thereof, within the tank, and central intermediate supports, a movable floor composed of separate sections adapted to rest on either of said supports and to be tilted to pass between the members of the upper supports, and detachable links, one pair for each floorsection, pivotally connected to the tank and floor section and adapted to support the floorsections during the operation of shifting them from one position to another and while in their uppermost position, substantially as described.

6. In a refrigerator-oar, the combination, with an ice-tank and supports arranged therein at different heights, of a movable floor or floor-section having eyes on its upper side and hand-apertures adjacent thereto, and links pivoted at their upper ends to the tank and provided with hooked lower ends adapted to engage the eyes of the floor or floorse'ction, substantially as described.

EOBT. GRAHAM. EDGAR R. M. PIERCE. Vitnesses:

J. CLARENCE CARLY, W. A. RICHARDSON 

